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Basic C++ Guide for PRO1

This academic documentation is designed to support first-year students in learning C++ programming, following the curriculum of the PRO1 course at UPC-FIB.

The main objective is to provide a solid foundation through structured theoretical explanations, problem-solving, and practical code analysis to avoid the most frequent compilation errors.

Documentation Structure

The content is divided into two main sections ranging from the fundamentals of the language to two-dimensional data structures and basic algorithms.

  • First Half:
    • 1. Cpp Basics and Compiling: Introduction to the environment, variable declaration, and conditional structures.
    • 2. Iterations (Loops): Flow control through repetition structures and sequential reading.
    • 3. Functions: Code modularity and parameter passing.
    • 4. Structs: Grouping variables to create custom data types.
    • 5. Vectors: Storage and processing of data in one-dimensional sequences.
  • Second Half:
    • 6. Recursion: Solving complex problems through self-referencing function calls.
    • 7. Matrices: Data management in two-dimensional structures (tables).
    • 8. Fundamental Algorithms: Standard sorting and searching methods (insertion, binary search, etc.).

Topic structure: Each module is formatted as a single file that includes detailed theory and code examples integrated into the explanation. At the bottom of each page, you will find final.cpp, a complete, executable program that consolidates all the concepts of the lesson.

Development Environment Setup

To program in C++, you need a code editor (like VSCode, Zed, or Neovim) or an IDE (like Xcode for macOS or Visual Studio 2026) and a compiler. Select your operating system to see the installation instructions for the g++ compiler:

It is recommended to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to have a native development environment.

  1. Open a PowerShell terminal as administrator and run: 
    wsl --install -d Ubuntu
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up a username and password.
  3. Restart the computer if prompted by the system.
  4. Open the new Ubuntu terminal and install the build tools: 
    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install build-essential

macOS includes build tools via the Xcode Command Line Tools.

  1. Open the Terminal application.
  2. Run the following command to install the necessary components: 
    xcode-select --install
  3. Accept the prompt that appears on screen.

Installation for Arch Linux and its derivatives (like CachyOS or Manjaro).

  1. Open the terminal and run: 
    sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S base-devel

Installation for distributions based on the APT package manager.

  1. Open the terminal and run: 
    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install build-essential

Installation for distributions using the DNF package manager.

  1. Open the terminal and run: 
    sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install gcc-c++

To verify that the installation was successful on any system, run g++ --version in the terminal. It should display the current compiler version.

Credits

  • Author: Dídac (@asomid-dev).
  • Special thanks: To Uri (@ItssUri) for the preparation, theoretical development, and code implementation of the Matrices section.